Members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum should work together to reap the benefits of information technology and achieve regional economic prosperity by fostering IT-capable workers, Japan's labor minister said Saturday.

"The latest technological developments are accelerating the globalization of the economy. That will possibly contribute to economic growth in the APEC region," Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Chikara Sakaguchi said in his opening remarks to a two-day APEC labor ministers' meeting in Kumamoto.